Falling Star
by RoseEvermore
Summary: Shane may not have a happy ending, but what if he could? This is a tale of a city girl turned farm girl that discovers her unsuspecting hero and, in turn, saves him.
1. Prologue

**FALLING STAR**

 **Prologue: Drinking in the Sites**

Shane did a double take when he was on his way to the Saloon. Kneeling to pick a flower was a girl with purple pigtails on the top of her head. He'd never met her, but she blended in so well with the town that he almost did not notice she did not belong. Her black overalls covered her light grey tee. He could see some picture peeking out from the sides of the black. She turned and looked at him. He froze. He did not know what to do or where to look. She returned his stare as intense as his own and he could not look away. She had the most forested eyes he could imagine. They were ever-changing green speckled with brown. Her eyes were perfect for the overgrown farm she moved into that day.

The mayor had a town meeting the previous week. That old farm would finally have life again. And by a city girl no less. He was envious of her. He wanted out of the god-forsaken town, but even then, he knew he would never be able to escape his horrible lot in life. There was no escaping the horrible luck that followed his every move. His daily routine became his daily hell, a void he could not avoid. He _needed_ a beer.

He moved to walk past the new girl and into the Saloon, but she suddenly blocked his path. She stood there and he looked at her confused for a time before she finally spoke, "Hello! My name is Emylia. You can call me "Emmy" for short. I just moved into my grandfather's house on Emerald Farm. I thought I would make my introduction before I get started sorting everything out." She held a pure smile on her face. It made him envious and sick. His heart panged a bit.

She waited for a response, which she finally got. He grumbled, "Why are you talking to me? I don't even know you." With that he walked around her and into the Saloon. Her mouth remained agape as if she wanted to say more but could not utter a sound. He would not afford her the chance.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Rude People**

Emylia sat on a bench in the towns square. Her first day in the new little village did not go well at all. The first person she met said her new home was a dump. Then she spent the entire day trying to get to know people and the lay of the land, but no one was about the town. She wandered for ages, but only met a few people. And that one man she met was just plain old rude. She was introducing herself so he would know who she was, but that was not good enough for the man in worn clothes and in desperate need for a shave. Then a grumpy old man laughed at her from his home and she lost it. She walked straight into his house, which was surprisingly not locked, and then scolded the man for laughing at a stranger. This town was nothing but rude.

As she thought this, a younger man with dark hair partly blocking his face walked into the light of the plaza. As soon as their eyes met, he quickly turned on his heels. She was done with this behavior. The mayor warned her that it could be tough to win the trust of the tightknit community, but this was ridiculous. "Oi! I moved into Emerald Farm. My name is Emylia and I want to be your friend."

He stopped and turned, interest peeked, "Uh, hi?"

She ran up to him, "HI!" She said it a little too loud, but regained her composer quickly. "I'm Emylia, but you can call me Emmy for short."

He paused before offering, "Sebastian."

She smiled wide, "It is very nice to meet you Sebastian. I would like it if we could be friends!"

"Huh," he grunted, but gave little other affirmation. Yet it was more than she expected after her day.

Before she could ruin her first friendship in her new home, she took her leave. Backing away slowly, "I'll see you tomorrow, Sebastian!" She turned and ran back to the farm.

She only stopped when she got to her porch. It was all dark. She had to admit, she was a bit scared. Living on her own for the first time, caring for a farm for the first time, in a new and very different place for the first time – it was all very overwhelming. But there was no turning back. She needed the change. She needed the freedom from the monotony of life. She refused to go back to that administrative job that made her devoid of a soul and humanity. She was better off with mother nature and animals. She loved cute animals. Her favorite thing was indeed animal kisses.

Since she could not think of what else to do and it was already quite dark, she went to bed dreaming about her future.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Farming Step 1 – Clear the land**

When Emylia woke up, she was ready to start work. She was always happy to do any job, at least at the start. Efficiency was her motivation in life. She opened the box on her floor full of seeds and put it in her pack. She hauled the deceptively small pack over her shoulders and exited her home.

Leaving her pack on the ground nearby, she pulled out the axe and began chopping the branches that littered the land. It was obvious no one had taken care of the land since her grandfather left. She chopped some of the wood before putting it all in a pile beside her pack. She then pulled out the small sickle and began to clear the weeds with ease. She smiled. Her anxiety about running a farm was fading fast. It was simple work, exhausting, but clear and concise.

Once she felt too tired to continue using her tools, Emylia packed her backpack and decided to explore the farm a bit. She looked inside a small cave and around a demolished building. She walked along the tree line until she discovered an opening in the thicket. Navigating blindly through the dense trees, she emerged into a lighted clearing to find a stone alter with four candle ledges along the stone wall. It was a shrine to her late grandfather. A note stated that his spirit will return at the start of the third year. Emylia shuddered, shrugged, then walked off. She loved her grandfather dearly, but that was just weird. It must be one of those strange towns people trying to pull a prank. She was not amused.

She continued this routine of clearing the land, alternating between breaking stones and chopping wood. Once the small clutter was gone, she was able to start clearing the weeds. By the third day, she had explored the entire farm so, when she was exhausted from the work, she would walk into town. She discovered the general store which was friendly enough. Crossing a bridge, she found a big mart. This was familiar to her. Unlike the general store, the workers there looked drained except for the manager that had an eerie smile plastered on his face. She tried to talk to the rude man she first met, but he ignored her as he restocked the shelf. Feeling uncomfortable from the change from the cozy village to the sterile mart, she did not stay long. When she exited, one of the townsfolk gave her a disapproving glance. She would not realize the stipulation between the mart and the village until much later.

She roamed more and found a beautiful beach. A man stood there with long hair. Emylia thought he looked like the cover of a romance novel. It gave her a chuckle. After the day's end, she really felt like she met nearly everyone in town. It is so odd how small the town is compared to her urban childhood. Her block had the same number of tenants as this town has population. They were also unnervingly connected. Nearly all of them made snide comments about not seeing her for a while or condoning her for not introducing herself sooner.

The next day, as she tiredly carried stacks of wood to her pile, she realized she had a substantial amount. Curious, Emylia used a map to find the carpenter's shop. Once inside, she saw the friendly woman she first met. They were discussing the possible options with the supplies she had, when a familiar face came up the stairs.

Emylia's lips grew in a large, wide smile. She waved enthusiastically, "FRIEND!"

Sebastian's eyes widened and he turned on his heel to go back down the stairs, but his mother stopped him. He waved them both off, "I made plans with Sam." He then left without looking at her or saying goodbye.

"Don't worry about my son. He is like that with everyone. So, anyway, back to business. Have you decided which you would like?"

Emylia smiled again, "Yes, I would like one chicken coop please!"

She chuckled, "Very well. I will start construction on it tomorrow."

They waved farewell to one another and Emylia left the house. She went to look at the waterfall when she happened upon someone she did not expect: Sebastian. He was smoking a cigarette. He did not seem happy about her approach. He apologized for the smoke.

She waved him off, "Oh, no its fine. My father smoked my entire life. I'm used to it."

They were quiet for a time. Surprisingly, it was Sebastian who spoke to break the silence. He asked, "How are you enjoying the town?"

She shrugged, "I'm not sure what I expected, but this isn't it."

He raised an eyebrow as he side-glanced at her, "Is that good or bad?"

She shrugged again, "I'm not sure yet. I don't regret coming here, that is for sure."

He scoffed at her, "I don't know why you would come here from the city. I want nothing more than to go to that city and get away from here."

She eyed a fish in the water and smiled softly, "If it matters, I am happy you are here. You are the first person to treat me normally here. You are my first friend and I am so grateful for you."

He turned to her fully now, "You barely know me. You really are a strange girl." He laughed then, putting out his cigarette and walking away.

Emylia sighed and glanced to the side. That is when she saw the landslide had been cleared. "Oh," she exclaimed out loud. She ran over the bridge and into the cave.

Within the cave there were mine tracks and carts as well as a strange man. She was confused for a bit and he had a fairly one sided conversation that ended with her holding a sword alone in the mine. She looked around confused and unsure how to hold the sword. She never imagined she would be holding something from a fairy tale. She added this experience to the list of weirdness in Stardew.

Forgetting that she spent most of her energy in the morning, Emylia began to mine. She did not find much and quickly grew weak. The room spun a bit, but she did not collapse. She took that as a sign and left the mine. Her eyes felt heavy as she followed the edge of the river, using one hand along the cliff wall to guide and stabilize her stride. She saw the bridge up ahead, the one that would lead to the mart. She knew she was still a fair bit from her home. The stone was the last thing she saw before black.

Shane's shift just ended as the sun began to set. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and neck as he stretched, tiredly. Walking over the bridge, he noticed lumps of purple in the grass and dirt. When he got closer, his tired eyes realized it was a girl. Her purple space buns were slightly messy and her overalls were covered in dirt. He poked her with his foot, but she did not budge. He leaned down and rolled her over. Her face was so beautiful and sweet, even covered in dirt. His heart panged again. It did that every time he saw her, but he tried he best to avoid the young girl.

He lowered his face to hers and could hear and feel her soft breath. She must have worked herself into exhaustion and fainted. He heard from his Aunt who would peek at her each day since she arrived. She spent the entire days clearing the farm. He leaned down and scooped the girl into his arms. She was short, but she had nice curves. He grunted, but easily lifted her. Somehow, the stocking job actually paid off. He carried her to her home. The door was unlocked and he grew nervous for her safety. Placing her in bed, he used a rag to clean off the dirt from her face. Just looking at her made him hate himself so much more. She was so young and delicate and yet she managed to give her all, unlike him who wallows in self-pity daily. He locked the door behind him and left. He will have his Aunt check on her tomorrow to make sure she is alright. Shane doubted she would ever want to see his face.


End file.
